ALGHERO, Ita.—Charles Paquet matched a career-best finish on the World Triathlon Championship Series, racing his way to fifth on Saturday in Alghero, Italy.
The scrappy Canuck clocked a time of 1:45:36 throughout the Olympic distance test, finishing just 27 seconds off his first career podium on the elite triathlon circuit.
“I am really happy with my performance today. It was a tough day. The bike course was brutal and the heat made it even harder, but I’m really happy to equal my best World Triathlon Championship Series result,” said Paquet.
Just two weeks shy of his 28th birthday, the 2024 Olympian came out of the 1.5-kilometre swim that began on a pontoon off San Giovanni Beach in 12th place that allowed him to position himself comfortably into the lead pack for the 40-kilometre technical pedal test over nine laps that featured up and downhill sections along with a series of twists and turns.
Staying out of trouble at the front of the large pack, the Port Cartier, Que. resident, came off the bike in second spot. After exchanging bikes shoes for his run flats, the hard-nosed Canuck was eighth out of transition for the four-lap run course that took the world’s best triathletes into the heart of the picturesque Italian town before a sprint along the seafront. Paquet picked up three spots over the 10-kilometre test, but ran out of steam at the midway point of the race and was not able to keep pace with the frontrunners, crossing the line fifth.
“I had a cramp in my quad in T2, and after that, I just wanted to pace myself because I knew the run would be hard,” added Paquet.
Brazil’s Miguel Hidalgo took the top spot on the podium with a time of 1:44:05. Australia’s Matthew Hauser clocked-in at 1:44:33 for second place, while Leo Bergere, of frace, placed third at 1:45:09.
Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk also had a solid showing, placing 16th with a time of 1:47:17.
The duo of Paquet and Mislawchuk have been delivering a one-two punch on the top triathlon circuit in the world since breaking into the top-15 at the Paris 2024 Olympics. It was the second fifth-place finish of Paquet’s career to go along with a couple of sevenths. He crossed the line in fifth one year ago in Yokohama, Japan. Paquet was 10th in Yokohama two weeks ago, while Mislawchuk was sixth.
Complete World Triathlon Championship Series Results
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